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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722203">Dash's feelings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tygirl9/pseuds/TyFell'>TyFell (tygirl9)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Danny Phantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood Friends, Crushes, Dash knows he's gay, Dash's mom is a transwoman, Episode Fix-it, Following the episodes, He knows that it's a bad one, He's more afraid of if Danny can like him back, M/M, Mostly Dash coming to terms with his feelings, Teddy Bears, Trans Character, Trans Danny Fenton, but like, no transphobia here, short bits, with a bit of a shakey justification on why he's like that</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:07:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tygirl9/pseuds/TyFell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mostly follows Dash's life in episodes, but he has a crush on Danny. There are two bits from Danny's side, but mostly smaller. Trans Danny.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dash Baxter/Danny Fenton, implied crushes - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dash's feelings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I may make a follow-up doing the standard reworking of Phantom Planet, but currently ends with the camping episode. Maybe I'll add another chapter with some moments of them before that, though? I mostly went with episodes Dash at least showed up in. I probably could've worked in a bit more, but figure I don't really have to write much about how he has a crush on Phantom, haha.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dash didn't want to treat Fenton like this. He didn't want to beat the boy who had been his friend when they were little. Who was the girl he had wanted to marry at five. But when they had been 10, Dash had started sports, and to fit in he started being an asshole to guys. And obviously he and Danny grew apart. And then at 11 Danny came out as being a boy. And he couldn't treat him like he did the girl. If Danny was a boy he needed to treat him like a boy, and that meant beating him up. </p>
<p>He felt like shit every time he did it, but he also felt backed into a corner. If he didn't beat him up, he'd be treating him like a girl. And since Danny wasn't a girl, he had to beat him up. Sometimes he wished he could go back to being little kids, before he started being serious about sports. Before he'd turned into an asshole. </p>
<p>It was too late to change now. Now he had a reputation, and no one would believe him trying to change. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>The first time he realized he still had feelings for Fenton was at his party. He'd let the boy hide in his room, claiming for it to be so that he didn't dampen the mood, but knowing that he'd probably get anxious. So he came up to check on him, bringing a plate of food and planning to forget it so the boy could eat. He was surprised when he got in to see his closet open, and Danny looking at something. </p>
<p>"Fenton, what are you doing?" He asked, embarrassed knowing what was in there. </p>
<p>"Sorry!" Danny turned, a blush across his face. "Pookie was sniffing and scratching at it, so I opened it to make sure there wasn't something giving him a reason to be scared…" he'd started speaking fast, but by the end had calmed down a bit. "I… I didn't realize you kept all these… and that old picture is still in the one I gave you…" </p>
<p>Dash stood there, knowing what he was talking about. His old teddy bear collection, that only Kwan knew he still had. In the center of which was an older one that he remembered Danny giving him during first grade. It was a red and white bear, and it had a picture of them and Foley, taken at the school during a class party back in kindergarten. </p>
<p>He remembered the day it was taken. Danny's mom had convinced him to wear a dress, and he was uncomfortable even back then. So Foley had let him wear the extra clothes his parents had sent in case of an accident and Dash had 'tripped' and spilled juice on the dress at breakfast. During the party he'd hugged the two and their teacher had taken a picture and sent it to their parents. He remembered Danny blushing as he gave him the bear, and being so excited to get the gift that he pulled the smaller kid into a hug. </p>
<p>"I always keep gifts… plus I'm still allowed to collect things. They'll probably be valuable some day anyways…" </p>
<p>Danny looked down. "Oh, okay. I was just… never mind." The boy kneeled down and started to pet Pookie. </p>
<p>"What. What were you gonna say?" </p>
<p>"It's just weird to look back at a time before you hated me." Danny said, almost quiet enough that Dash couldn't hear him. But he did, and he felt his chest ache. </p>
<p>"I've never hated you, Danny." He sighed, shaking his head before setting the plate on his nightstand. "Feel free to eat that… I should go back and make sure the house isn't trashed…" </p>
<p>With that he walked out of his room. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>After his sessions with Mrs.Spectra, Dash just felt more confused and annoyed with himself. He'd told her how he felt about Danny, how he felt like if he tried to be nice people would hate him. And she told him that he should continue doing what he's doing, and that maybe Danny didn't deserve him. It just didn't feel right. Wasn't a guidance counselor supposed to help you work out your feelings, not just try to reaffirm even the ones you knew weren't right? </p>
<p>It didn't help that after that the whole school had been depressed. The rumors say that it was because of a ghost, but could a ghost do that? The therapist did give off bad vibes, but maybe Lancer was just shit at hiring people. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>The day he realized what his feelings for Danny actually were was when they went to save their parents from some ghost pirate ship. He realized right away that Danny would be the one with the most know how to figure out the way to stop a bunch of ghosts, so rallied behind him quickly. And it worked. Their parents got out safely. He remembered the hug his parents gave him, and remembered looking over at Danny, admiring how the boy acted. </p>
<p>When he got home, and was spending time with his parents on the couch, he blurted out his feelings. </p>
<p>"I think I'm in love with Danny Fenton."</p>
<p>His parents looked over at him, surprised. </p>
<p>"Oh, Dashie…" his mother said, smiling sadly knowing the way her son had been acting. </p>
<p>"You just now realized this?" At his wife's look he raised a brow. "What, the kid literally said he wanted to marry the boy multiple times when they were younger." </p>
<p>"Yes, but Ryan, you didn't realize you liked me until I became a woman. It was possible that our boy just wasn't attracted to him as a boy." </p>
<p>He listened to his parents reminisce about their meeting and thought about it. He did always like Danny, but he'd started to ignore it when he'd been trying to fit in with the other players. And then Danny came out, and he'd buried it. It definitely wasn't because the boy was trans, his own mother was after all. But he was a bit afraid of how people would react to him liking a boy. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>He'd just gotten a package, offering him a full scholarship if he promised a contract to the Packers after he graduated. It was unmarked, and he had some time to decide, but he couldn't see a reason to reject it. It was a dream offer, really. His parents could afford to send him to school, but he also knew they were disappointed in his grades. This could be exactly what he needed. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>He'd been asked to tutor Fenton in gym. He was fine with it, but it was hard not to stare as the boy tried to work out. He didn't expect a ghost attack to happen, and for Danny to disappear a bit before Phantom came and they both got shrunk. It was strange having to help the ghost boy as his powers seemed to disappear. But he also had an interesting conversation with him. </p>
<p>"I know this is a weird question… but have you ever liked someone and not known how to act around them?" Dash asked, as they had a moment to breathe. </p>
<p>"I guess so. I mean, doesn't everyone?" </p>
<p>"Maybe? I don't know. I… I used to be friends with this kid, back when we were kids. And then I started trying to fit in with the popular kids on my football team. And to do that I… I started to bully guys. And then, then I find out the kid I had been friends with at that point was a boy. And I didn't want to treat him like that, but if I didn't start being mean to him, wasn't I just treating him like I did the girls? But now… now I realized I have a crush on him but I think I ruined it." </p>
<p>"Dash…" Phantom looked at him, before hearing something and making them run again. </p>
<p>It wasn't until they unshrunk that Phantom brings it up. </p>
<p>"I… I don't know much of what to say. Maybe try and talk to him? Write him a letter maybe? But no matter what, I think you need to find a way to make a change, and start treating others better." </p>
<p>Dash nodded, looking down. "Yeah…." </p>
<p>"I don't know if it'll be something he can forgive you for, but maybe at least it'll make any other crushes you get easier to deal with." </p>
<p>Dash nodded again. </p>
<p>"I should probably go before the Fenton's notice me. Stay safe, okay?" Seeing the jock nod again the ghost boy flew away, leaving him to go and try and find Fenton so they could try and get ready before the test. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Dash was confused about the young girl who had shown up, asking if he knew where Danny lived. She looked, sounded, and acted like how Fenton had when they were kids, before he'd come out. She claimed to be his cousin, but he got weird vibes from the interaction. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Dash didn't know until years down the line that he didn't remember his first real confession. When Freakshow had revealed to the world that Danny was Danny Phantom, Dash's world had been rocked. Both his crushes were one in the same. When he noticed the boy and his friends needed help getting away, he automatically decided to get his friends to help him. While he was blocking off Danny so he could change without people seeing him, he decided it was time. </p>
<p>"I… I know this is a bad time, but I can't wait any longer. Danny… I really like you. I'm sorry I've been such an ass, I wasn't sure how to act… but I'm afraid of what might happen here and want you to know that I really care about you…" </p>
<p>Danny blushed, trying to hurry. "I… I kind of guessed. I mean, you told Phantom, and I figured you weren't talking about Tucker… I think we should talk after everything. Okay? Right now I need to go fix some things." </p>
<p>Dash nodded, kissing him on the cheek, before clearing his throat. "You all ready?" </p>
<p>At their agreement the group led them out and into the woods. </p>
<p>He wouldn't remember that night, but it would give Danny more time to ponder over everything. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>He remembered being mortified when somehow the wall between the locker room and cafeteria disappeared, revealing Danny who usually would stay back a bit to shower alone, naked and petrified. He couldn't think of what to do to help, so he helplessly started on, embarrassed by the fact that he found himself turned on by the sight. </p>
<p>Dash, like all the others, had been frustrated with the new mayor. Especially because even his father who was in politics couldn't figure out how the man had managed to win. And now there were all these restrictions, and the nasty burger was ruined. And to top it off, Phantom was no where to be seen. </p>
<p>He'd been in the crowd watching when Danny was pulled out of the wreckage of the broken limo, and felt panicked, and a sense of relief at hearing the boy would be okay. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Danny didn't know how to feel about Dash's multiple confessions. And he didn't want to ask his friends or Jazz, so he stewed in the confusion until his dad decided to take him on a fishing trip. </p>
<p>He didn't mind the idea of a father son trip with the man, Jack had always been supportive after Danny had come out. More immediately so than his mother, who still slipped up sometimes and got frustrated at being corrected. She loved him, but found it hard to admit that she was having trouble adjusting still to having a son. </p>
<p>"Hey dad, you remember Dash?" </p>
<p>His father nodded. "He used to be such a nice boy. It's a shame how he's been treating you…" </p>
<p>Danny sighed. "He's told a friend of mine that he actually likes me. Like… likes me likes me. And I don't know how to feel. Like, on one hand he's been a complete jackass. Bit on the other… the way he explained why he's been acting like that is almost… sweet?"</p>
<p>Jack raised his brow. "How can it be sweet?" </p>
<p>"He said that by time I came out, he'd started treating all the other guys like shit, had started bullying them. So when I came out, and he found out I was a guy, he decided he had to bully me even if he didn't want to, just so that he was treating me like a guy. Like… it sounds like a twisted way of him trying to support me and I don't know how to respond, especially since he doesn't know that I know."</p>
<p>"That is a tough one. I can't say I've dealt with that one. Has he at least stopped beating you up? If so, maybe you could talk to him? Maybe with Tucker there, start with the thought of trying to be friends again. Then you can see if you're interested in more?" </p>
<p>"Maybe… I should probably see if he actually apologizes…" </p>
<p>Jack nodded, moving a hand to ruffle his son's hair. "If he doesn't, he's not ready to be your friend, kid." </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Dash was glad that Danny was out of town when he and the rest of the guys appeared back in reality. He'd come home after that, feeling a bit out of it and confused to his parents sitting on the couch. His mother was shaken even more than his father, and he immediately could tell what happened. </p>
<p>She'd disappeared with all the men. </p>
<p>He immediately went over to her and hugged her. None of them spoke, none of them had to. He was just happy that Danny didn't have to deal with those feelings, too. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Today wasn't a good day. He wasn't sure what happened. Pookie was normally so calm and friendly, but today he went crazy. And after he'd disappeared from view, right before Dash could chase after him, he came from behind him. He had no idea what was going on, but he clipped the leash back on and started walking home. </p>
<p>When he got home his parents weren't there, and he knew they had been staying in a nearby city while his dad handled a court case. He made himself a simple meal, texted his uncle that he was home safe and where he was just in case the man checked in on him, and went to watch a movie in his room. </p>
<p>As he got everything set up, he hesitated a second before pulling out the bear Danny had given him, smiling a bit and laying down. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>The next day had seemed fine, and he'd gone to school the day after ready for the weekend. He was surprised to not see Danny and his friends there, but soon saw why. Danny's parents were driving around, announcing that he was missing and that they were trying to find him. </p>
<p>He felt stiff trying to go through the rest of his day, trying not to show how worried he was. Kwan could see right through him, but he didn't expect anything less from his best friend. They get distracted though by how off their teacher was acting. What was up with Lancer? </p>
<p>Of course, they get distracted again when Dash see's Danny Phantom. He actually plans if he catches up with the ghost to ask him if he'd heard about Danny, but he's gone before he can manage to talk to the hero. </p>
<p>He worries the rest of the day, until he sits down and turns on the local news after he gets home, hoping to hear something and seeing across the bottom of the screen that the boy was found, safe and sound. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Danny walked into the cafeteria feeling the happiest he'd felt in years. His grades were great, he was popular, and as he walked over to the popular table Dash gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked over at Tucker, who was sitting with Kwan's arm around him, and then at Sam who was blushing at something Jazz was saying. </p>
<p>He's resigned when his ghost sense goes off, knowing he can't be happy for long. The Fright Knight breaks through the wall, and he's about to make an excuse to run off but the group looks towards him, telling him to go stop him. How did they know who he is? He transforms anyways, stopping the ghost surprisingly easily before coming back and sitting beside Dash again. They're all cheering, and he finds he likes that, for once. The attention is on him, not Phantom. </p>
<p>Dash leans down to kiss him, and he starts leaning in too, but suddenly he's waking up…</p>
<p>(Tucker's dream is pretty similar to his but make it a Harem. All the popular girls, Kwan, and other guys and girls. Danny's like family to him, so of course he's shocked by that. Sam's would be completely different, but honestly probably should've been in the show anyways. Even if you go the Danny/Sam angle she wouldn't prefer that as the reality. Give her some gothic concert/festival with her friends willingly there and dressed up for her. Her parents being fine with her choices, ect. Jazz of course is shocked awake because she would never marry a guy, especially not one she knows is in love with her brother. And of course Jazz knows.)</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>(Danny finds out about Dash's plan and talks it over with Sam after Tucker passes out before they let everyone out.)</p>
<p>The camping trip had gone terribly. Kwan had gone missing, and then Star. And soon they were all trapped, and it wasn't long before everyone passed out. Dash had somehow managed to be the last to pass out, and he heard something weird as he did so. Something about using the students to Lure the halfa out. But why would Phantom be there? They weren't even in Amity park. Was Wes not crazy in some way? Did Phantom go to their school? </p>
<p>He didn't have long to think of it, only vaguely remembering when he was freed. And when they were waking up, the adults quickly realized it was time to go. Kwan patted him on the back giving him a small, sad smile. That's right, he was going to talk to Danny on this trip. He frowned, looking over and getting surprised when Sam and Tucker seemed to be hyping him up on something before Danny was walking towards him. </p>
<p>"Hey Dash, think we can talk for a second?" </p>
<p>He found himself nodding, and followed the boy behind one of the buildings. </p>
<p>"So, uh, I know this is weird, but Sam managed to not be trapped and found a note you and Kwan had been passing. And she said we should talk about it?"</p>
<p>Dash took a deep breath. This was it, he'd been preparing for a while now for this moment. </p>
<p>"Danny, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't treat you well. I didn't know how to react, and I've just started therapy to get help with what caused me to start treating people like that. But out of it all, you're the one I most regret how I acted towards. Because I really like you. The little boy who said he wanted to marry you someday hasn't gone away, and in fact is even more sure of how he feels. I know that we have a decent ways to go, and I'll be trying to make things up to you for the rest of my life. But I'd like it if you could maybe give me a chance? Even as just a friend again?" </p>
<p>Danny looked at him, watching his face and seeing how serious he was. "Okay. Okay, I'll give it a shot. But I do want to start as just friends first. Make sure that you're serious, and that we're actually at all compatible and not just projecting our younger selves onto our current ones."</p>
<p>"I'm fine with that. I just… I want to see you happy. So if I do something wrong, please tell me?" </p>
<p>Danny nodded, smiling before thinking a second and all but literally jumping up to kiss his cheek. Dash blushed and looked down, before looking up with a smile. They were quiet for a second, not knowing what to say, when they heard Tucker yell around the corner that they needed to go. Dash threw his arm around him and they sat on the bus together, around Sam, Tucker, and Kwan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So that's it! Tell me your thoughts on the different ideas I had in the other note, and maybe I'll get around to doing them? I have to earn though If I do the extra moments before PP it may get a bit angsty in some spots if I can manage it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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